Uncas

My Feedback: (1)

If I could live anywhere in the world and was raising a family I would consider Denmark as a number 1 place of interest. However - they will likely not let you in as they have a functional immigration policy and extremely tight worker protection.

I am looking at retirement places and I was thinking of someplace with good weather and scenic. I was thinking Northern California like around Santa Rosa, but I have never been. The wife loves Montana, she has never been there in the winter, but the summers are wonderful.

There are more han a few people I know who are seriously considering retirement in Arkansas of all places.

50%plane

My Feedback: (5)

Dubai is an awesome city!

But to answer your question, California is not the best place to live and raise a family. The state government is constantly raising taxes, education is getting worse and worse. Everything's bankrupt and jobs are leaving the state really fast. Laws are ever increasing, and we, the taxpayers are paying for more than we would like to. When I moved to CA from NC, my cost of living tripled.

On the other hand, since you can work from anywhere, houses are cheap right now, and you can send your kids to get a better education. On the subject of houses, I bought my house, and my mortgage is a lot less than the rent for similar houses. Also, the flying weather here in NorCal is pretty good.

All in all, I think you would be happy in CA, but you would be better off in a different state....

The_Shark

to jacques, we may float, but i want to sail, in other words im not happy existing i want to thrive. life now feels like walking a tight rope, there isnt much room for mistakes, you try to lean in one direction and your going to fall, you grab onto a job, a crappy job, you try to move up or change jobs you have to be REALLY carefull because even jobs a McDonalds are far and few between, if you try to line up a new job and it falls through you may be out of work for YEARS, however you play it safe you will never have enough money to pay for a home or a family.

why was i born in this day and age (and place)?[] is this a joke or a test? im tired of spinning my tires, i know life can be a hell of alot worse but why cant i have something go right? im making less now than when i was 16! where is this CHANGE ive heard of? oh yeah, in my bank account.

rgburrill

In 65 years I have lived all over this country. I have also seen a lot of changes in attitudes, schools, public services,etc. I certainly have my preferences - and they have changed considerably over the years. So with that in mind let me summarize:
Northwest - beautiful county when it isn't raining. A little cold for my tastes even though I was raised there - kids like snow, I don't anymore. Oregon is probably the best overall but jobs are scarce. Then again, jobs are scarce everywhere.
California - been there, done that, had way too much of it. The only decent place in my view is southernRiverside County.
Southwest- heaven if you are independently wealthy. And if you don't have a fetish for water.
Mountain West - can you spell backwards? Yes Boulder has gone hi-tech but mostly settled by hippies who left the Bay Area. So if you speak Java and C++derivativesthen you could do well.
North Central - get out your eskimo gear. Haven't lived there but my friends that do (e.g. Cedar Rapids) say there are many high tech jobs - but see the comment on eskimos.
Mid Central - I am very thankful that is one section I have not lived.
Texas - not too bad. Ice storms in winter but they come and go. I liked Dallas Ft Worth and would consider moving back.
Northeast - I live here now. If anyone can call this living. Cold, wet, windy. Highest taxes in the nation. Worst cost of living. But you can retire on state provided money in city provided housing. Then again, you have to pay taxes on that retirement income. And soon even those who do not officially live here will be able to vote - seriously.
Mid-atlantic - never lived there so I can't comment. The few times I have been in DC in the winter, though, it was really cold.
South/southeast - save the best for last but only if you already have a job or are independently wealthy. I must admit that I don't like hurricanes and have been through many but I'll take a hurricane overletting thegovernment take my money to give to someone elseany day. The biggest problem is accepting that racism is a way of life and you just have to ignore it. And you have to lick and chose you location carefully to stay away from the hotspots.

So, as I said before - stay put. If I lived 20 years where you live there is no way I would consider moving back here.

tommygun32

Thank you for the kind words KennyKiller

Eman77

Then you're missing out buddy. I love the midwest, and the people of the midwest.

Eman77

Tommygun, I think you should move to Florida. Then you can wrassle gators.

The_Shark

i am thankful for where i live, i just wish i lived in Australia or New Zealand or at least had more money to enjoy life here in the states.

it kills me to see this country decay, once a strong, fearless contry that was the idol of what a great country is, manufacturing and supplying, cutting edge of technology and pride in work. that is all gone away, we are traders, not manufactures, he lost our pride in our work, and have someone else do it, we are the butt of alot of jokes, our "leaders" are as crooked as the mafia.

this country is still great, but she isnt what she used to be, im sad i only saw a glimpse of America's last hurra in the early 90's.

jessiej

Lots of opinions here.. I have lived in several regions of the U.S., traveled to all but a couple of the states and been to most parts of the planet. I found something to like just about every where.

Much of the information you seek can be quantified and found on line. Real estate prices, taxes, population density, climate and terrain voting records...

Some where between Maine, Alaska, Hawaia and the Florida keys you can find endless variety and something you like.

All that being said, in the final analysis contentment with where you live is local. One can be totally miserable in one neighborhood and perfectly happy in another only a couple of miles away.

Where I live I can walk out my door, hunt, fish, fly R.C. or pee off the front porch. I'd not choose to live another way. Confirmed city dwellers would hate it. We all have diferent preferences.

Perhaps before committing to a location and investing in a residence you could rent some property and "test drive" some varying areas?

In any event, you have a rare oppertunity and I am sure you will make the most of it.

Best of luck!

jess

Dirty_Vinylpusher

So you won't be moving here then?
You were talking about it a while ago.

cumminspower5.9

My Feedback: (4)

God bless America. But, the fuel prices are hell lol

Eman77

That always cracks me up. US folks always gripe about fuel prices, but Europe is typically much, much higher. Always has been.

cumminspower5.9

My Feedback: (4)

Ah i see. I never knew that. I've never been out of the states. How much is it per gallon in Europe?

Eman77

I don't know, but our friends from across the pond can share. It's probably cheap where tommygun is, since that's where it comes from (err, mostly).

As an example, we're at what....between $3.50/$4 per gallon in the US depending where you go.

Glancing online, I see something like $2 per liter, and there's ~3.8 liters per gallon, so they're paying between $7-8 USD per gallon I think. Ouch.

Red Scholefield

My Feedback: (9)

Gas Prices around the world.

Netherlands Amsterdam $6.48
Norway Oslo $6.27
Italy Milan $5.96
Denmark Copenhagen $5.93
Belgium Brussels $5.91
Sweden Stockholm $5.80
United Kingdom London $5.79
Germany Frankfurt $5.57
France Paris $5.54
Portugal Lisbon $5.35
Hungary Budapest $4.94
Luxembourg $4.82
Croatia Zagreb $4.81
Ireland Dublin $4.78
Switzerland Geneva $4.74
Spain Madrid $4.55
Japan Tokyo $4.24
Czech Republic Prague $4.19
Romania Bucharest $4.09
Andorra $4.08
Estonia Tallinn $3.62
Bulgaria Sofia $3.52
Brazil Brasilia $3.12
Cuba Havana $3.03
Taiwan Taipei $2.84
Lebanon Beirut $2.63
South Africa Johannesburg $2.62
Nicaragua Managua $2.61
Panama Panama City $2.19
Russia Moscow $2.10
Puerto Rico San Juan $1.74
Saudi Arabia Riyadh $0.91
Kuwait Kuwait City $0.78
Egypt Cairo $0.65
Nigeria Lagos $0.38
Venezuela Caracas $0.12

tommygun32

It can be upwards of 10 bucks a gallon in London, in addition to all the different road taxes they have to pay.

We don't actually make the fuel here, we just pull it out of the ground. It gets processed elsewhere and shipped back here .

The reason it's so cheap here is because it's government subsidised. Gas here is 6.50/- Dirhams per litre. 1 US $ = 3.65/- Dhs.

On average it takes 115/- dirhams to fill my 2010 Pathfinder from empty. About US $ 31.50

Eman77

Interesting, but is that per gallon/liter, or what? I looked at an "average UK cost" in pence and did conversions to get my #s.

tommygun32

I believe it's per litre out here. I will double check that tomorrow. I know this is going to sound pretty snobish, but I don't pay attention to it. I just know it's going to be about 100 - 115/- per fill up. All the stations charge the same amount, unlike the States where it helps to find the best price per gallon and if you have 3 stations at a 4-way intersection the price can vary up to 10 cents or more per gallon between the three.

The other thing that happens out here, it's ALL full service, there is no option. They don't trust anyone to fill their tanks properly out here . When I pull up and get out to fill my own tank, all the pump guys freak out and come running over.

The_Shark

bet your ass im still moving, its just going to take longer than i wanted, once i get a good job it's on, hopping that plane, shipping my car in a metal box and start a new life.

once i set my mind on something it gets done come hell or high water.

FahrtAutoRC

Nothing snobbish about ignoring gas prices. We are far from wealthy but I ignore them too, because to me it makes no difference. Whether it is $1 a gallon or $20 a gallon, I'm still putting X amount in because that is my budget. Ten bucks a day doesn't rise or fall.

jessiej

What is the cost of shipping a car as opposed to selling it and buying a new one?

BTW, what part of Australia (or New Zealand) do you have in mind? I have never been to New Zealand, though I understand there is some lovely country there.

jess

tommygun32

I was WAYYYY off in our per litre cost of fuel here. It is 1.72 Dirhams per litre. So....

1 US Gallon = 3.78 litres
3.78 x 1.72 = 6.5016
6.5016 / 3.65 = $1.78 per US Gallon

Not too bad. Especially when we're talking a big SUV like the Pathfinder.

The_Shark

reason for trying to ship it is because its my Corvette ive been putting time and money into restoring it, AND its worth almost double out there.

Where in Australia, i dont know, i have to talk to the consulet to find the best place possible. I have a skilled labor as a auto mechanic and going to have a Associates degree in a few months so that helps.

i just lost my crappy vacuum mechanic job, minimum wage 14hours a week- i will make more on unemployment. i was THE best mechanic ever, upwards of 6 machines, diagnosed, priced, called and repaired in in a 3.5 hour shift. the guy thats been there for 10 years and works more hours a week did 6 machines in 4 days, i did 16 in 3.5 (because i got fired on the 4th day). i lost it because i took a important call, WHILE working on a machine 10 seconds on the phone im yelled at to clock out, so i say "ok, sorry, i will do that" then walking to my card i was TOLD TO LEAVE. good luck you scumbags, i was NOTHING but nice and this was my FIRST taking a call!!!

i was ALSO told before i got the job my wage would be minum and then bumped up in two weeks, guess what? 6 months later NO RAISE. Tired of people taking advantage of you because jobs are thin.

once i get a good job and save up im so out of this place.

tommygun32

Well Gents, I'd like to thank you all for sharing your comments, suggestions and experiences.

Most of you have pointed me in directions I probably wouldn't have thought of and I appreciate it. Yes I've taken some of the posts with a grain of salt and an understanding that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Combining some of the suggestions with our own ideas, we've scheduled a road trip this summer covering quite a few states in the West including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Northern California.

Should be fun. Thanks again.

dante_0816

Maimi